A proposal to raise Pakistan's voting age from 18 to 25 has emerged in parliamentary discussions, a move that would disenfranchise an estimated 30 million young voters and appears targeted at undermining support for imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan's political movement.
The proposal, reported by Dawn, has found few supporters even within the ruling coalition, but its introduction signals the extent to which Pakistan's political establishment is willing to consider undemocratic measures to consolidate power.
Young voters have been the backbone of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, providing massive turnout at rallies and overwhelming support in elections. In the February 2024 polls, PTI-backed independent candidates won the most seats despite systematic repression, ballot manipulation, and the party being forced to run without its election symbol—a disadvantage that particularly affects less literate voters who rely on symbols rather than reading candidate names.
Raising the voting age would eliminate roughly one-third of PTI's most reliable supporters. Pakistan's median age is approximately 23, making it one of the world's youngest populations. Disenfranchising citizens aged 18-24 would fundamentally reshape the electorate in favor of older, more conservative voters who tend to support traditional political parties.
The proposal's timing is particularly telling. Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 on charges widely viewed as politically motivated. His wife has also faced imprisonment. Thousands of PTI supporters have been arrested, many subjected to military trials. The party's election symbol was removed, forcing candidates to run as independents. Despite these obstacles, PTI-backed candidates won the most seats in elections that observers called deeply flawed.
When electoral manipulation proved insufficient to eliminate PTI's support, the establishment appears to be considering changing who can vote. The logic is transparent: if young people vote for the wrong candidate, remove their right to vote.
International standards on voting rights are clear. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes voting as a fundamental right for adults, and most democracies set the voting age at 18 or lower. Some countries have debated lowering the voting age to 16 to increase youth participation. Raising it to 25 would place Pakistan in virtually unprecedented territory globally.
